


Red Strings

by coeurvolant



Category: I Love Yoo (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-17 12:59:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16516937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coeurvolant/pseuds/coeurvolant
Summary: Is this the future? Time advances, it doesn't turn back. Surely, forever...it'd be lonely, right?Shin-Ae paused. She didn't know what she could ask. She couldn't ask if he had been avoiding her -he could redirect the question back to her, and she'd either be obligated to answer or refuse to answer, which would imply a certain truth anyways. She wasn't really in a position to question him about Alyssa, either. "Are you happy?"He gave her a gentle smile, different than his usual forced ones, "I am right now."





	1. Four Seasons

**Author's Note:**

> Title is based off the song: 四季刻歌, first sentence in summary is a direct translation I found off Youtuber Coleena Wu (because I suck at translating myself). Each chapter title will be based off a song I thought of while writing, if you look up this song (titled Four Seasons), I recommend you do so off niconico / find the version with an actual singer and not a vocaloid, just because that's the version I had in mind !
> 
> In other news: I binge read all of ILY yesterday and am sad so decided to write a lengthy fic, haha. I'll be trying to keep most characters as in character as I can, without deviating too much from the storyline we've been given thus far. I'll probably stop this fic once I either lose track of the series or am heartbroken by the end result lol. Also it's been years since I've written anywhere publicly outside of uni stuff so prepare for lots of mistakes. Rated for cursing because protag is a potty mouth. Also I apologize in advance -when there's a lot of characters I tend to do a lot of dialogue. I'll try to fix that in the future.  
> Edit: I changed the title bc I decided this was going to be a fic of my supposed theory ; u ;

Seong-Gi looked dully at the rising sun as the alarm on his phone sounded, laying still for a bit instead of immediately getting up as usual. It was during these silent, secluded moments that he could stop smiling, stop pretending that everything was going to be alright. The alarm continued blaring as he redirected his unblinking gaze to the ceiling of his bedroom instead.

  
He finally grasped the device with his fingers, hitting the "stop" button as his expression turned to one of surprise. It was Soushi calling him.

  
"Hey." Seong-Gi tried to sound somewhat upbeat as he stretched himself to a sitting position.

  
"Was I your wake up call?" The man on the other end said playfully, openly snickering. The redhead chose to ignore that. "Anyways, wanna go to the amusement park with me today? Dieter and Shin-Ae are gonna be there too. They said to invite you."

  
Seong-Gi furrowed his eyebrows. Were they on a date or something? Why would they invite him and Soushi as well then? "Are you crashing their date?" He finally asked teasingly, hopping out of bed and leisurely walking to the bathroom. He didn't plan on going either way, but was planning on giving Soushi an earful for crashing the two's plans.

  
"You're gonna crash our double date if you don't come!" Soushi joked, "But nah, it's not like that. Dieter passed out when she asked at first, but she just said she wanted to do something relaxing and probably didn't choose the best set of words." He paused. "I don't blame her. She's been looking really tired lately." Even Soushi had a hint of concern in his voice. "But hey! Maybe this is a date -we can spy on them and get them to go on the ferris wheel together!"

  
Seong-Gi smiled. Some people never changed, "Thanks for the offer man, but -," He pursed his lips as his phone vibrated with a text message, "Give me a sec." He pulled his phone away from his face, his eyebrows furrowed as he skimmed the message. It was from Kousuke, informing him of another family dinner. "You know what, I'll come with. Should be fun, right?"  
  


* * *

 

  
Shin-Ae kicked a loose rock with her boots as she stuffed her hands in her pockets, squeezing the hand warmer inside. She had worn more than sufficient layers today, but the cold wind still froze her to the core. It wasn't as if she could wrap her scarf over her face, either...or could she?

  
"Shin-Ae!" A navy haired girl ran up from the distance, waving an arm in the air. A look of confusion flitted across her features as she surveyed the younger girl. "What are you doing with your scarf?" She asked. It was wrapped inconspicuously above her neck, mummifying the bottom half of her face. "Are you that cold?"

  
Shin-Ae nodded.

  
"Well, I hope you weren't waiting here for long...we can stand over there in the sheltered area if it helps?" The brunette followed her friend obediently as Rika continued to speak, "I have to help Maya with the bakery so I gotta leave early today," She quickly glanced up before adding, "She was gonna ask you too, but her mom said one person would be more than enough and we both thought you could use a break! You know, in case your dad needs you."

  
"That's fine. I appreciate it." Shin-Ae said tersely, her voice muffled by fabric.

  
"We'll still have the party -I mean, get together in December." Rika reminded her, "We all hope you'll come. It's been a while since it's just been the three of us!" The two shuffled around some more in the cold, Shin-Ae taking out the warmer in her pocket to stick inside her scarf. A lot better now.

  
"That's dangerous," Rika said, frowning at her actions, "What if that explodes all over your face? There's some reactive chemicals inside there."

  
"You're bluffing." Shin-Ae said confidently, "Besides, I'm willing to take that change. My face is freezing." They shared a smile with each other.

  
"I guess the melted face look would be better than Rudolph."

  
"Whose face is melting?" Soushi ran up to the two, peering into their faces. A smile spread across his face as his eyes settled upon Shin-Ae's chattering teeth. "You know who would be able to keep you warm? My man, Dieter here -," He dramatically threw his hands behind him, welcoming the two remaining members of their group.

  
Shin-Ae and Rika looked at him unconvincingly. Dieter appeared to be the coldest of the bunch. He shivered under a good five layers, the downy jackets apparently doing little to keep out the cold.

  
"Um, are you alright?" Shin-Ae asked, an eyebrow raised. Surely it was colder in Germany than Korea? She thought exchange students from colder areas were normally supposed to be resistant against the temperatures. If she recalled correctly, there was a girl from Canada during her freshman year who wore skirts year round.

  
Dieter nodded vigorously, plastering a smile to his face and holding his thumb up. Yeong-Gi and Soushi exchanged a glance with each other. Dieter had informed them that he had a small cold when they went to pick him up earlier, but was clearly in much worse shape without the warmth of the heater in his home and car. He had insisted that he did not want to miss this hang out though, in order ton further strengthen his acquaintanceship with Shin-Ae. She did invite him primarily, after all.

  
"If you say so." Shin-Ae said unsurely. Yeong-Gi waved brightly at her as she glanced at him. "We should get going. Maybe it'll be warmer inside with all the people around." The group quickly purchased their tickets, scrambling inside. There were less people than expected considering it was the weekend, but it was still a decent crowd. Although they came rather early in the day, the food stalls had already been opened. Shin-Ae looked longingly at them.

  
"Let's grab something to eat first. I'm starving." Yeong-Gi suggested.

  
"Don't eat too much, or you'll be emptying your stomach out again after the first ride." Soushi said, already eagerly searching the stands. They settled on getting cheese corn dogs as they leisurely walked around, gazing upon the different arcade games that were available.

  
"Ooh, look at that!" Rika cooed, pointing to a gigantic stuffed bear, "Let's stop here. I wanna try to win that." She quickly grabbed her wallet out, handing the vendor the proper money. It was one of those games where you had to knock milk bottles off a stand. Pretty much impossible to win, since all games were rigged.

  
Shin-Ae continued looking on in disinterest as Rika bent close to the ground, closing one eye with her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She really wanted that bear.

  
"Oh!" The brunette's eyes lit up as she spotted a small, cat key chain. It reminded her of Lil Buddy. Surely, it was some sort of consolation prize. Perhaps she would try it out next...she looked at the entry cost. $2 for three balls? She was better off using that money for food. Or saving it for cram classes.

  
"Dang it!" Rika wailed, throwing her hands up after a brief few minutes, "That's $10 down the drain. I give up."

  
"I'll try my luck." Yeong-Gi offered, "Can't be that hard, right?"  
  
  


* * *

  
"Yeong-Gi ah...please just stop." Soushi placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can probably buy that off Wamazon for $60..." He said. Dieter nodded from beside him, pushing him away from the stall.

  
Shin-Ae stifled a laugh. Who spends $50 on an arcade game? Everyone knew that was a rip off.

  
"Were you trying to win that for Alyssa?" Soushi teased, "And tell her that your love for her was this big?" Yeong-Gi laughed, pushing him away.

  
"Well, looks like today's not my day. Let's go on some rides now, I feel like we've waited long enough."

  
Shin-Ae shrugged, leading the group over to the ride section of the park. Rika was smiling a bit, surely feeling better about her loss after seeing Yeong-Gi's destruction. There was nothing more comforting about getting ripped off than witnessing someone else get ripped off even more, after all.

  
"Sir!" The vendor called from behind them, "Sir, you forgot your consolation prize!" He waved Yeong-Gi down.

  
"I'll be right back!" The redhead jogged away back to the stall, exchanging some words with the man as he nodded and pointed to something hanging on the wall.

  
"Are any of you guys bad with heights or something? We'll avoid those rides." Dieter said kindly, pulling a map and sharpie out from his pocket. "I've circled some of the most popular rides, the ones that are deemed dangerous or have had accidents in the past...the ones on maintenance..." He continued on, ignoring the bewildered looks the group shot him. As expected, he was overly prepared.

  
"Let's go to the haunted house!" Soushi suddenly exclaimed. It would be the perfect opportunity -the five would be walking together at first, but then as the hallways get more narrow, they'd have to go into smaller groups...Shin-Ae and Dieter could be walking together, and something scary jumps out at her -

  
"That one? It's not very scary, you know." Shin-Ae said, "If you really wanna get scared, let's go on the Screaming Tornado." She said with a wry grin, pointing to one of the rides that had been marked "dangerous" by Dieter. "It's one of those rides where your feet get to dangle and you go upside down for a long time."

  
Soushi's face paled as he side eyed Rika. Perhaps she would be against it, she looked more like the sort of person who enjoyed leisure rides, like the calm boat ones. The dark haired girl clapped her hands together, "I'd like to go on there too! I was always too scared when I was a child, but I think I'd be able to take it now." She said excitedly, "It would be cool to see if I've built some sort of tolerance."

  
"Then it's settled!" Shin-Ae said excitedly. "Whoever screams has to buy us all food." She continued deviously. Although she did not have many opportunities to go to amusement parks in the past, she had a good tolerance for speed and heights. She was confident that she would outlast anyone in this group, or at least Soushi. The poor guy looked so scared she was sure he'd pass out any minute.

  
"What'd I miss?" Yeong-Gi asked, jogging back over.

  
"We're going on the Screaming Tornado." Dieter said, surprisingly nonchalant. Perhaps he had only prepared the map in case the others in the group had specific fears. It would not have been unusual, he tended to be the most broadly attentive out of the bunch.

  
"Sure, sounds cool. I haven't been here before so I'm down for anything." Yeong-Gi said with a smile. His classmates had invited him numerously in the past, but he had always turned them down since he knew what their true intentions were. As for his family...there was no way he'd ever go to one with them, and Alyssa was far too busy to ever go anywhere with him if his direct family wasn't involved. It would be a fun experience for the books, and perhaps a good distractor for later tonight. None of his family members could blame him if he became sick in the middle of the dinner -after all, it wasn't a publicized event, and it wasn't as though he hadn't obeyed Kousuke's orders like he said he would. It was a win-win situation.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Whooo! First in line!" Shin-Ae cheered loudly, shocking the attendant. Soushi looked even more sick as he looked at all the people on the other rides. Clearly, they were purposefully avoiding this specific one. "I wanna be on the first one!" She said excitedly, lining up at the gate directly at the front.

  
"I'll be behind you. The front might be too much for me." Rika said apologetically. Dieter nodded, lining beside her.

  
Soushi walked all the way to the very back, "I'm sitting here, where it's safe." He said dramatically, "Haven't you guys seen Final Station?! A group of high schoolers die on the roller coaster."

  
"Everyone died on the roller coaster, regardless of where they were sitting." Shin-Ae deadpanned, strapping herself into the seat.

  
"Sir, I assure you everything is perfectly safe." The attendant said, concern across her features, "Just make sure you stay strapped in and don't stick your head or any limbs outside of the ride."

  
"How can I when my legs are dangling like this?!" Soushi yelled.

  
Yeong-Gi walked towards him, climbing over to take the seat beside him, "Don't worry bud, I'll keep you company -,"

  
"Stay away from me! What if you punch me while we're on the ride? That'll kill me for sure!" He screamed. Plus, there was a chance he was going to puke, and if he was...no one would know if no one saw it.

  
Yeong-Gi backed off with his hands held in the air, "Suit yourself. I'll join you, friend!" He said brightly as he slid into the seat beside Shin-Ae.

  
"Just don't deafen me with your screams. Whoever yells has to treat us all to lunch." She informed him, a smirk on her face. She considered not telling him at first, since he looked like the type who would yell just for the fun of it, but she did feel bad for him after he wasted all that money on those arcade games.

  
"Wait what?!"

  
"Have a safe ride and enjoy your journey on the Screaming Typho -wait, Tornado." The attendant said flatly, pulling the lever down as soon as they made sure everyone was strapped in properly.

  
Soushi started screaming immediately, and Rika let out little yells of exhilaration. Dieter was surprisingly quiet. Shin-Ae turned to look at her companion; Yeong-Gi's face was blank, his mouth pursed in a tight line as he made high pitched whining noises. The sound reminded her of a puppy with abandonment issues. He turned mechanically towards her as he noticed her staring. He definitely looked a little bloated. And was that the lighting of the trees or was he turning green?

  
"Hey. Hey! Don't you dare throw up on me!" Shin-Ae yelled, using her left arm to push his face away. "I swear to God, I will commit murder...!"

  
"Haha, Shin-Ae's yelling!" Rika cheered over Soushi's deafening screams.

  
"You're all yelling!" Dieter commented gripping the padded bar across his chest with all his strength. "Except Yeong-gi!"

  
"That's because he's about to puke on me!" Shin-Ae shrieked, "I'm wearing all my clothes today, don't you dare! I'll have nothing to wear if you get these dirty!"  
  


* * *

  
"Welcome back, and I hope you enjoyed your trip on the Screaming Tycoon." The attendant said flatly as they returned, getting the name wrong once again, "I've truly never heard a group so small yell so loudly."

  
Shin-Ae scrambled out of her seat as soon as the restrictions were released, running on the platform to distance herself from Yeong-Gi.

  
"How did you like the ride, Shin-Ae ah?" He said, grinning brightly and all traces of nausea now gone. The brunette furrowed her eyebrows at him. He paused, scratching his chin, "Well, it was the only way I could think of to get you to scream..."

  
Shin-Ae's mouth dropped in horror as she punched him in the gut.

  
"Oh my!" Rika gasped as Yeong-Gi fell to the floor dramatically.

  
He got back up quickly, "Just kidding, I'm okay. We should help Soushi out of his seat though."  


* * *

  
  
Shin-Ae smiled to herself as the group went back towards the entrance of the amusement park together, well after dark. Rika had left earlier, an hour after lunch. Dieter had been kind enough to pay, feeling bad for Soushi and using the excuse that it was because they were all here since Shin-Ae had invited them. They had gone on a few more rides after that, but none held a candle to how thrilling the first one had been.

  
"Are you sure you don't need a ride, Shin-Ae?" Dieter asked again, gesturing outside, "It's getting really dark. And cold."

  
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though. I had fun." She smiled gently at him. Dieter turned red before grabbing Soushi and running off, muttering a quick "I had fun too". Shin-Ae checked her watch. Thirty minutes until the bus. She still had time to kill. She scrolled through her phone, grinning to herself at the photos they took. They also hit the photobooth at some point; although she wished Maya could have been there, she would treasure it and put it somewhere special.

  
"You're taking the bus?" Yeong-Gi asked her curiously.

  
"What are you still doing here?" Shin-Ae asked, surprised. She hadn't noticed his presence and assumed he left with the other two. They arrived in Soushi's car, after all.

  
"I'm being picked up by. I have...family matters to attend to tonight." He said, a tight expression on his features.

  
"Oh." A silence fell between the two. Shin-Ae felt immensely awkward now -she knew he hated talking about his family, and although she was insanely curious, she learned to hold her tongue. It was probably hard enough trying to have a good time all day, knowing what would come afterwards, after all.

  
"Is that a ferris wheel!?" Yeong-Gi suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the large spherical ride nearby. Now that it was nighttime, it was brightly lit and easily stood out from the rest of the exhibits.

  
"Yeah. Have you never seen one or something?"

  
Yeong-Gi shook his head, "This was my first time at an amusement park. I've only seen these in pictures or like, you know, the distance. I've never realized how gigantic they were." He stared at it in awe, his eyes practically sparkling as the strung lights reflected in his eyes. "Wanna go on it?"

  
"Um..." Shin-Ae glanced at the entrance. "Isn't that something couples normally do?" Did he forget he had a girlfriend again? And it was Alyssa, nonetheless.

  
"Is it? I wouldn't know." Yeong-Gi shrugged, turning back around. He clearly looked disappointed although he tried to hide it.

  
"Alright, fine." Shin-Ae sighed, "One ride since I'm feeling particularly generous tonight."

  
"You're the best!" Yeong-Gi cheered, his eyes lighting up as he grabbed her wrist and sprinted to the line. He bobbed up and down on his heels excitedly. Shin-Ae had to admit, his happiness was a little contagious. She found herself smiling a little by the time they boarded the ride. Now that she thought about it, it was a little unstable. Would this thing actually hold two people? She had never been on one either, but mostly because it didn't seem very thrilling at all.

  
Roller coasters were fast enough so that she never had to worry about falling off or anything -it was over by the time she even had time to think about that. But ferris wheels? They went much higher and dangled in the air for much longer. Plus, there were no seat belts or anything. She looked out the windows with an uneasy feeling as they slowly lifted higher.

  
"Wow!" Yeong-Gi cheered as he looked below them, "I can see everything beneath me!"

  
"Of course, it's a ferris...wheel..." Shin-Ae paled as looked down to their feet. The floors were freaking glass panels?! Since when was this a thing?!

  
"I've only seen pictures of these in magazines of Japanese amusement parks, I didn't know we had them here too!" Yeong-Gi exclaimed. Shin-Ae quickly brought her knees up to her body, hugging them tightly. "Hey, are you okay?" The redhead questioned. He got up and sat beside her when she didn't reply.

  
"Don't throw off the balance...!" Shin-Ae hissed, pressing herself tighter against the corner of the compartment.

  
"It doesn't work like that. Besides, you're so smoll there's no way our weights would balance each other out." He teased. "Oh yeah, I got something for you." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a little keychain. "You were looking at this, right?"

  
Shin-Ae's eyes glimmered, but she refused to take it, "It's alright. It's yours." She didn't like accepting gifts from others for no reason. It made her feel like she owed them something.

  
"Aw, so I wasted $50 for nothing?" Yeong-Gi whined, dangling it enticingly in front of her. "I know you don't like talking about your problems much, but I really do want to be friends." He said seriously, "You've been under a lot of stress lately, so I'm glad you're taking today off to have some fun and relax. You deserve it. And this is for you."

  
Shin-Ae looked at him skeptically before letting out the breath she had been holding, "Alright, fine. Thank you." She accepted the trinket, squeezing the head of the cat experimentally. It was soft.  

  
The ferris wheel lurched to a stop. "Oh, we must be at the top now!" Yeong-Gi peered over, "Look at everything! It's all so small!" He tugged at Shin-Ae's shoulder. "If you don't look now you'll regret it later." The brunette reluctantly peered over the edge, subconsciously wrapping hand around her companion's upper arm for some sort of support.

  
"Everyone looks like ants." She remarked, "Hey look, there's that shooting game where I beat Soushi's ass!"

  
"Cause he was on the verge of puking." Yeong-Gi chuckled, "Alright, I get it. I'll treat you to a meal some time."

  
"Not WacDonalds." She wrinkled her nose, he would probably just sit there and order a bunch of chicken tenders in slow intervals again. Although she had to admit, his actions did make her work just a little bit better that day. "Thanks again, for being so nice." She mumbled, bringing her arms to the top of her knees as she rested her head there. She needed to constantly remind herself to be more grateful for his presence. She wanted to be a better friend too.

  
Yeong-Gi smiled, "No problem. We're friends after all. I'm gonna have more friend points than everyone else." He boasted.

  
"As if," Shin-Ae tsked, "But probably since you're the only one keeping track." She yawned tiredly. Did she have a hamburger earlier? She was awfully sleepy, and it wasn't that late, despite how dark it was. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt warm fingers brush her hair aside.


	2. Dear No One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character appearance \ o /  
> Italics symbolize text messages. Hopefully I won't be using those too much

"Rise and shine!" Yeong-Gi opened his eyes. Shin-Ae...? His eyes focused as he sprang up.

  
"Alyssa! What are you doing here?" He asked, a smile on his face.

  
"I just finished a shoot near here this morning! I thought I'd stop by on my break."

  
Yeong-Gi looked at the time. It was later than usual -after dinner with his family, he fell asleep rather late, so he wasn't too surprised. He had kept his conversating to a minimum, answering anything with the curtest of responses. Mostly he just had to nod his head politely, not fully aware of what he was agreeing with, or to.

  
"Let's grab something to eat then." He suggested, "Give me a moment to get dressed."

  
"Oh, sure. I'll wait outside then!" Alyssa waggled her fingers at him before walking out his room, closing the door tightly behind her. She frowned to herself -there was an amusement park wrist band on his bedside table marked with yesterday's date. Had he gone without her? She usually asked if she wanted to come along when he had such plans.

  
Did he go with the other boys? She wouldn't mind that so much, even if it made her slightly upset he hadn't asked her -it wasn't as if she were free that day, anyways. She had filming. Was Shin-Ae there? The two seemed close at the party. But he did decline to dance with her. Maybe she had nothing to worry about. It didn't hurt to ask, though.  
"You ready?" Yeong-Gi popped out of his room, dressed warmly for the cold weather. Alyssa nodded with a smile.

  
She had informed Yeong-Gi that she had only an hour before she had to get back, so the two found themselves walking through K-mall. Alyssa wore sunglasses and a scarf to hide most of her hair. "So, I saw that you -,"

  
"Shin-Ae!" Yeong-Gi waved at the brunette in the distance, who looked not unlike a deer in headlights at the moment. She waved awkwardly back, avoiding eye contact. Alyssa cautiously followed her boyfriend, her left hand over her arm nervously. She plastered a pleasant smile on her face, glad that the majority of her features were hidden.

  
"What a surprise to see you here!" She exclaimed.

  
"Hello." Shin-Ae said politely.

  
"Ah, you're wearing the keychain." Yeong-Gi looked proud as he focused his attention on the small plush charm sticking just slightly out of her pocket.

  
"Oh, um yeah. I attached it to my keys. That's why it's called a keychain." The girl rolled her eyes playfully as she poked it back out of sight, looking deliberately in Alyssa's direction. There was a hint of what seemed to be guilt in her carmine eyes.

  
"Is that a pun?" Yeong-Gi gasped.

  
"No, it's a fact!" Shin-Ae insisted, looking at him in disgust, "Do I look like the person who would stoop so low?!"

  
"You look like the kind of person who likes stooping to check how hard floors are."

  
"One time! That was one time!" The brunette held her finger up.

  
"You two get along pretty well." Alyssa remarked, smiling tightly. Her face felt strained and her eyes twitched behind her shades. "We should be getting back, babe. I don't want to be late."

  
"Really? We just got here though..." Yeong-Gi furrowed his eyebrows, "Alright then. I'll see you around Shin-Ae!" Shin-Ae lifted a hand as she watched the two retreat. She casted her gaze downwards as she turned back around, her fingers brushing across her forehead contemplatively.

  
He never really explained his actions on the ferris wheel last night. "You look pretty." He said, before laughing it off and apologizing for overstepping his boundaries once again. The conversation was then quickly redirected.

  
Shin-Ae frowned to herself. Did people who were taken normally present themselves that way? She disliked how confused it made her. No, she didn't think she liked Yeong-Gi that way. But it didn't help when he always acted that way around her. And it had the potential to make things awkward between him and Alyssa. She didn't know if Alyssa had forgotten what happened in the past, but she was willing to put it behind them. She didn't want to start any drama. 

* * *

  
"So, did you guys go to the amusement park together yesterday?" Alyssa tried to ask casually, her gaze directed on the buildings outside.

  
"Yeah, we went with a group of friends." Yeong-Gi replied. "Sorry, I would have invited you but I knew you had that photoshoot. You should come with us next time, we had a blast." He wondered whether she would ever be willing to go on a ferris wheel with him -would she also be scared of heights? There were a lot of things about her that he didn't seem to know, yet he was getting closer with Shin-Ae by the day. The thought momentarily confused him, and left Yeong-Gi feeling the faintest amount of stress.

  
"I'm glad to hear that." Alyssa tapped her fingers on the dashboard, her nails  rapping against the window as she pointed to a building. "Oh, you can just drop me off here." She motioned to the Sunbucks. "I'll text you, 'kay? Thanks for being the sweetest ever!" She added for good measure, noting the consternated expression on his face.

  
"Sure, babe." The redhead smiled tightly. He pulled over and waited for her to get out before getting back on the road. He paused at the red light, eyes following Alyssa curiously as he waited for the traffic to stop. The blonde greeted a group of women inside, quickly shedding her disguise as she took a seat by the window, her back to him. Yeong-Gi sighed as he flipped his signal . He would take a detour to Soushi's -the guy always seemed to be able to get his spirits up. 

 

* * *

  
_Hey. Let's meet._

  
Shin-Ae paused as she received a text from an unknown number. It wasn't Soushi or Dieter, she had added them as contacts since the last time they contacted her for tutoring. She couldn't think of anyone else whom she gave her number to recently, lest it was someone at the place she worked. Q-Tip wouldn't talk so briskly either, if it were the off chance he were using Jayce's to relay a message while he was in a call. His tone would've been something more like, "Let us congregate at the great hall". She chuckled to herself at her over exaggeration of the stoic man.

  
_Who's this?_

  
There was a brief pause.

  
_This is Meg's number._

  
Shin-Ae mentally slapped herself. Of course! She completely forgot she had given the woman her number. To be honest, she had thought she would throw it out as soon as she walked out of the WacDonalds, it wasn't as though the gesture was well received.

  
_Right. Did you change your mind about the gathering? I'm free tomorrow at 3:30pm. Can we meet at the WacDonalds again?_

  
She had work right after, so that would assure them plenty of time to talk without making her late for anything. Plus, she was sure Meg would be more than happy to stop near Kousuke's work.

  
_That's fine._

  
_See you._

  
Shin-Ae pushed her phone away. She wondered what was so important if Meg was requesting to see her in person rather than just tell her through text or phone call. They had already made it clear they didn't like each other, so she was sure Meg wasn't having a change of heart. Maybe she decided she wanted Kousuke's jacket after all. Should she bring it tomorrow then? She felt like the older woman would be the type to be angry she couldn't "anticipate her needs".

  
She patted her face as she let out a groan. She was in no position to be overthinking mundane things at the moment. Since failing her exams, she had to use all the extra time she had to study. Shin-Ae wanted to give her father good news the next time he woke up, after all. She hoped he'd be able to come home soon.

  
She glanced at her phone again as she received another upbeat text from Yeong-Gi, cheering her on. She had been getting these almost nightly now, although she seldom responded. It was partially because she was almost positive he had been acting strangely around her in person as of late. His texts were hardly reflective of his demeanor in front of her when they were actually together, especially when no one else was around. Was it still because she told him to tone it down? But then again, maybe it was the pool incident...

  
Shin-Ae shook her head. She was probably overthinking things again.   
  


* * *

  
Shin-Ae kicked her feet as she waited for Meg at WacDonalds, sitting in the same booth they did last time they met. She rested her face in her palm as she gazed blankly outside, wondering when it would snow this year. Maybe if it got cold enough she could make some hotpot. Since this was the first time she's had a job, she would be able to afford buying some ingredients -plus, it would be a nice surprise for her father.

  
"Shin-Ae." The brunette blinked in surprise as Alyssa sat down across from her, smiling.

  
She frowned suspiciously, "Did Meg bring you along?" She asked.

  
"Oh, about that. It was me texting you the whole time. I just borrowed Meg's phone since she had your number." The girl said apologetically, holding her hands together, "I'm sorry, my wording must have been strange. I never said I was Meg, after all. I just said it was her phone." There was a cautious grin on her face as she raised her eyebrows in mock innocence.

  
Shin-Ae bit her tongue. Alyssa had clearly purposely manipulated her into coming here, under the pretense she was meeting Meg. She had definitely chosen her words carefully. Nonetheless, she shrugged. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked.

  
Alyssa set her bag onto the seat beside her, leaning in closely, "Shin-Ae ah. I'd like to know what your relationship with my boyfriend is?" She said testily. The smile was still on her face, but her gaze was sharp. Shin-Ae felt shivers up her spine.

  
"We're just friends. We're not even really that close." She said truthfully. There were a lot of things about her that he didn't know and she knew absolutely nothing about him besides what he liked to eat, maybe. She voiced these thoughts aloud.

  
"I see..." Alyssa trailed off, the smile falling from her face, "Yeong-Gi is a rather private person, but he's very friendly. I'm just so used to girls getting the wrong impression from him." She smiled again, as though she remembered she was supposed to.

  
"I can see how that can happen." Shin-Ae said absentmindedly. "I mean, yeah he's definitely friendly." She paused, "Like. You know, outgoing." She paled as Alyssa's eyes turned to slits.

  
"Shin-Ae. I'm so sad we drifted apart after middle school. I really want to be friends again...it's hard to these days since I feel like people just want to get close to me either for fame or because of Yeong-Gi..." She trailed off, "But I am happy to see you again!"

  
"Oh, yeah." Shin-Ae said, surprised. She had definitely expected this conversation to go another way. Especially because of the question Alyssa had asked her back when they were classmates. How could she forget such cruel words coming from her closest friend at the time? They haunted her to this day. She could do little to refuse her, however. Perhaps she really had changed.

  
"So it would be really nice if you could distance yourself from Yeong-Gi a bit. He's been stressed out lately and you know how people are, they're always spreading rumors. I wouldn't want anything bad to come of it. Our relationship is very important to us, and it's in...quite a fragile state since I've just recently debuted. And of course, the whole scandal at the party." Alyssa looked close to tears, something akin to genuine concern in her eyes.

  
If Shin-Ae didn't feel awkward before, she felt really awkward now. "I-it's okay, I get it. But don't you think these might be good things to discuss with Yeong-Gi? He is your boyfriend after all. It takes two to maintain a relationship."

  
Alyssa nodded, "Mhmm, I have. It's just so hard for him to say no sometimes, he's such a pushover. He's always so worried about other people, he never looks out for himself. I want to be able to allow him to focus more on that, so." She looked at Shin-Ae expectantly. "I'm so busy with work, I can't always keep an eye out for him."

  
"Well, alright. I guess I get the gist of what you're saying." Shin-Ae finally said, although she felt like she didn't at all. Alyssa was basically telling her to stay away from Yeong-Gi; but the points she raised were fair enough. He had been acting strangely around her lately, and the way she described him was completely accurate. She could see him as someone who had a hard time saying no. Did that mean he only wanted to be friends with her because he felt bad for her? Had Alyssa told him about their past after all?  
No, that couldn't be it. He was surprised they knew each other when they met at the party, an d their past wouldn't have made Alyssa look like a saint. Was she overthinking again? None of her other friends had ever really been in relationships, so maybe this was completely normal. She'd never been in a relationship herself, so she decided she ultimately didn't have the right to judge the affair of others.

  
"I'm so glad you can understand. I knew I made the right call in trusting you." Alyssa said happily, grasping her hand and squeezing it firmly.

  
"Alyssa? What are you doing here?"

  
The blonde turned, quickly standing up as she went to greet her boyfriend, "Hey babe! I was just passing by for a shoot and I saw Shin-Ae, so I stopped to say hi." She grinned. "I should get on my way before I run late though. It was so great seeing you again Shin-Ae!" She waved at her and patted Yeong-Gi's arm before gracefully walking off.  
"I'm glad you guys are getting along so well." Yeong-Gi said politely, "I always knew you guys would be friends!"

  
"Yeah." Shin-Ae leaned back in her seat. That conversation exhausted her for some reason. She looked at the clock, springing up and hastily grabbing her things, "Shit, I'm gonna be late!" She exclaimed, tearing past Yeong-Gi and into the nearest bathroom. She hadn't even changed out of her school uniform yet -maybe she'd have time to change shoes inside the elevator to save what few minutes she had left. She turned around to apologetically glance at Yeong-Gi, who was left behind looking bewildered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I picked a random song I only kinda like just for the sake of having a title...sorry for the weird(?) ish intervals


	3. The Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a mess -I'm still uploading stuff I wrote from the day I started writing so I wasn't able to look through / revise anything ; o ;   
> chapter title name is the song by mike perry !

"Shin-Ae, do you want to go to the arcade with us today?" Dieter asked the brunette, who at the moment was sprawled across her desk in a half conscious state.

  
"Hm..." The brunette lifted her head, her bangs disheveled, exposing the red welt on her forehead. Dieter backed off, his face heating up. She was really cute when she was sleepy.

  
"Yo Shin-Ae! You coming with us today?" Soushi called from the door outside, Yeong-Gi at his side.

  
Shin-Ae hesitated for a moment as she recalled her conversation with Alyssa the other day, "No, not today." She finally said, "Thanks anyways, though." She shouldered her bag, walking out the door without another word.

  
Soushi scratched his head, "You think she's okay?" He asked Yeong-Gi. Dieter was still standing still in the middle of the room.

  
"Yeah, why wouldn't she be?" Yeong-Gi plastered a smile across his face, although his eyes followed her retreating figure.

  
Soushi looked at him suspiciously, an eyebrow lifted. Shin-Ae usually accepted their offers to hang out, and had even invited them herself a few times. The past few days she had been acting strangely distant, particularly when Yeong-Gi was present. He stood for a moment, crossing his arms. He had seen this kind of behavior before. He was almost sure Alyssa was involved in some way -she was the jealous type and although no one ever witnessed her outright doing anything, she was manipulative. Soushi didn't even want to think about what happened to the last girl, who ended up moving across the country for undisclosed reasons.

  
"She hasn't been talking to Alyssa lately, has she?" He asked anyways.

  
"No, of course n -," Yeong-Gi paused. He had forgotten that they had, in fact, been speaking a little over a week ago. He hadn't been present for the entire conversation, but Alyssa had said she was just stopping by...although he didn't know how long they had actually been speaking for. "Well, I did see them together briefly. But Alyssa was just passing by for a photo shoot and said hi. They were classmates in middle school." He informed him, turning to leave.

  
"If you say so." Soushi said unsurely. "I'll go retrieve Dieter." 

* * *

  
Shin-Ae shoved her hands in her pockets as she walked home. It was lonelier these days by herself -Maya was still avoiding her, and they hadn't had the chance to talk yet. She'd been busy with work and studying so she hadn't been able to approach her at all. On the other hand, she had been hanging out with Dieter and his group a lot more for the past month or so, but she stayed true to her word and avoided them when Yeong-Gi was around. Which was unfortunately more often than not.

  
"Man, I'm truly doomed to die alone." She whistled to herself, rubbing her hands together. She needed to buy gloves or something; she had long outgrew her last pair and never really bothered getting another. But that could change -she couldn't remember the last time it was this cold. She must have only been a child.

  
_Everything ok?_

  
Shin-Ae ignored the text from Yeong-Gi, much like the others he had sent her this past week. The last one she had responded to was one inquiring her over a week ago about what her discussion with Alyssa was about. She had merely said "nothing much" and brushed him off. It wasn't her place to meddle in their affairs, if they had any.

  
_I know you're reading these._

  
_Hey._

  
_Heeeeeey._

  
_heyhheyehajsdhfshfhjdkshdf_

  
Shin-Ae felt herself grow more aggravated as her phone kept vibrating -she couldn't risk putting it on mute in case something work related came up or the hospital decided to call, and she needed to be elsewhere. Furthermore, she didn't want to block him, either. The last conversation they had had been on the ferris wheel, and she couldn't forget how sincere he had been. He was  always so considerate that she felt horrible doing something as menial as ignoring him. Maybe one text wouldn't hurt.

  
_STOP SPAMMING ME STALKER._

  
She paused, feeling momentarily bad. He did have good intentions. 

  
_But I'm okay. Thanks for asking._

  
Great, now she was off the hook from responding for the next three years. She smiled gleefully to herself. She stared at the screen for a moment out of curiosity as three flashing dots appeared, indicating that he was typing a message back. She felt irritation bubble up again as the dots disappeared and reappeared continuously, as though the person on the other end was unsure of what to type. That, or they had some crazy long message.

  
_Can we meet up?_

  
Shin-Ae continued staring before pocketing the device without another word. That was too dangerous to respond to, and her last meet up via text was not exactly ideal. Either way, there was a danger of Alyssa finding out. Unless...technically Shin-Ae was distancing herself already, by avoiding him normally. It should be okay if they met up every once in a while, right? She did have some things she wanted to clear up with him.

  
_Ok. where?_

  
The reply was immediate this time.

  
_I'll pick you up, after school tomorrow. :D_

  
_It's Saturday tomorrow._

  
_I'll pick you up at your house tomorrow :DD_

  
Shin-Ae hid a smile, burrowing her face into her scarf as she typed a quick reply back.

  
_Fine._

* * *

  
  
Shin-Ae woke up to rampant knocking on her door. She rubbed her eyes sleepily. Was it the landlord? It wasn't time for rent yet. Maybe it was something else -perhaps he realized she wasn't actually the one who sent the payment last time? With that thought, she scrambled up twice as fast, stepping into her slippers as she hurried to the door.

  
"Sorry, I just woke up." She apologized meekly, bobbing her head. She furrowed her eyes. Those were awfully trendy shoes for a middle aged man.

  
"I'm here to pick you up!" Yeong-Gi grinned.

  
"How the hell did you get in here?" Shin-Ae asked him, already moving to shut the door. Yeong-Gi's hand shot up faster, holding it open. Damn, she forgot how strong he was. She quickly gave up the battle she knew she'd lose, instead settling for crossing her arms and blocking what length of the entrance she could with her small frame.

  
"A nice old lady let me in! I told her I was your friend." He grinned. "Did you forget I was coming today?" He asked.

  
"No, but I thought you were going to text me before coming over, or you know, something appropriate like that instead of showing up unannounced. And no freaking way I thought you were coming at," She looked at the analog clock on the microwave, "Fucking 5am?! What's your problem?!" She exclaimed, moving to shut the door once more.

  
"Please!" Yeong-Gi begged, holding his hands together as he shoved his foot into the doorway. "It's the only time that works." He insisted.

  
Shin-Ae let out a sigh, moving aside to let him in, "Fine. Wait for me here while I get dressed." Perhaps she was more of a pushover herself than she let on. The redhead nodded happily, settling himself on the couch as she turned back to her room, slamming the door shut.

  
"Your pajamas are nice!" He called after her teasingly. Shin-Ae rolled her eyes, letting out a yell as she fell face forward into her blankets. Her Saturday was effectively ruined.

 

  
The next time Shin-Ae opened her eyes, it was  to someone gently shaking her awake. She stifled a yawn as she flipped herself onto her back, her eyes widening as she came face to face with a pair of porcelain jade ones. She let out a yell, bashing her head into the intruder's face.

  
"Ow, my nose!" Yeong-Gi wailed, clutching his face as he fell back into a sitting position.

  
"W-what are you doing here!" Shin-Ae asked, her face red as she held a pillow defensively in front of her.

  
"I was coming to check up on you! It's already been an hour and I was calling you from behind the door, but you didn't reply so I came inside to get you. I knew you fell asleep again!" He said accusingly, pulling his hand back from his face to observe it for any blood. Thankfully, there seemed to be no injury. He would most positively have a bruise on his chin tomorrow, however. Nothing concealer couldn't fix.

  
"Oh." Shin-Ae said lamely, "My bad. I'll get changed now so get the hell out!"

  
"Don't fall asleep again." Yeong-Gi joked, "Or I'm stealing all your food."

 

* * *

  
It took Shin-Ae a mere 10 minutes to toss onn a pair of clothes and wash her face, mumbling profanities under her breath as she marched to the door with Yeong-Gi trailing behind. Truthfully she felt bad about falling asleep and forcing him to wait an hour for her, but that was no excuse for barging into her room unannounced. She reddened as she recalled his face hovering inches from hers, concern in his eyes.

  
"That's your car?" She asked, when they stopped in front of a large vehicle. It definitely didn't look anywhere near as fancy as Q-Tip's Ferrari, but it was  much larger. Not built for speed at least, as far as she could tell. Might be good for road trips.

  
"Yep." Yeong-Gi patted it proudly. "Hop inside, it's unlocked."

  
Shin-Ae slid into the front seat obediently, too tired to be difficult, "So where are we going?" 

  
"You'll see." Yeong-Gi replied cheerily.

  
"Will you tell me why you wanted to meet up today, then?"

  
Yeong-Gi paused uncertainly, "Shin-Ae, we're friends, right? We'll be 100% honest with each other?"

  
"It's a two way street." The brunette responded. "And if you want my complete honesty, I feel like there are some things you aren't telling me." An uneasy silence fell between the two as Yeong-Gi continued driving, away from the city. "If you're secretly an axe murderer you should probably tell me now." She joked.

  
"You're the one who's much more likely to murder me! Plus even if I did have an axe on me, I would still be the one in danger."

  
"Yes, since I am that much stronger." Shin-Ae agreed, looking into the seats behind them, "Do you have food? I smell something."

  
The two continued bantering mindlessly as Yeong-Gi drove on, refusing to provide her with any sustenance other than water and a party sized bag of chips -which according to the brunette, were not enough to sustain her. Plus, she kept throwing them at him; he was pretty sure a good half of the bag was either in his hair or on his lap. She had worn herself out by the time the bag was completely empty, and ultimately ended up falling asleep with her head against the window.

 

  
  
Yeong-Gi stretched when he finally parked the car. It had been a while since he had driven for so long. He looked over to his companion, smiling at her serene expression. At least she wasn't being stressed out in her dreams. The corners of his mouth dropped as his gaze followed to her hairline, a criss cross of scars blending in with her chesnut hair. He rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing anything, before tentatively reaching over to trace his fingers across the lines.

  
Shin-Ae's expression briefly soured as her brows furrowed. He whispered a quiet apology before shaking her awake. "Rise and shine!" He exclaimed, the smile back on his face. The girl begrudgingly shoved his hands aside as she wiped at her face, yawning and stretching loudly. She quickly reached up to undo her hair as she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, keeping an even face.

  
"Where are we?" She asked, hopping out of the car and shaking her legs out. There was a long silence before she opened her mouth again. "Holy shit!" She yelled loudly as she realized where they were, "Why did you drive all the way here?!"

  
"It's the beach! The most relaxing place on the planet!" Yeong-Gi exclaimed excitedly, throwing his arms in the air.

  
Shin-Ae glared at him. That statement was definitely not true, no -for example, a massage parlor, a sauna, a buffet, there were so much more relaxing places. But that was besides the point! "Why the fucking beach?!" She repeated, looking around them. It was pretty empty, save for a few stragglers with their dogs, no doubt locals on their morning walk. It was no surprise; going to the beach during winter was only something an idiot would do. A certain redheaded idiot, apparently.

  
"Let me show you." Yeong-Gi said, smiling confidently at her. He locked his car, pocketing the keys and taking hold of Shin-Ae's arm. "Try to keep up if you can!" He yelled over the winds, half dragging her towards the water. Once they reached the very edge, he stopped.The two gazed into the misty distance in silence, squinting against the refracted lights.

  
Shin-Ae had to admit, it was still pretty. Not as pretty as it was during the summer, but lovely in its own way. Plus, it was accompanied by a quiet stillness that was seldom found during the other seasons. She breathed in the air, feeling a chill in her lungs. She felt alive. Alive enough to want to kick her companion into the freezing waters.

  
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Shin-Ae turned to Yeong-Gi with a bewildered look. What the hell was his problem? She hadn't tossed him in yet. The redhead grinned cheerily at her. "It feels good to let it all out. Why don't you try?" He dropped her wrist as he stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders as though holding her in place.

  
Shin-Ae tsked. She wasn't going to bolt. And she wasn't going to lie, it was enticing...she couldn't remember the last time she was able to so freely scream without abandon. "I FUCKING HATE EXAMS! I HATE MY JOB! WHY ARE PEOPLE SUCH ASSHOLES ANYWAYS? WHY DO PEOPLE IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY GET STEPPED ON ALL THE TIME?!" She screamed, cupping her hands around her mouth. "IF I HAVE TO REPEAT THAT JINGLE ONE MORE TIME I WILL BURN EVERY WACDONALDS TO THE GROUND!"

  
She turned over to see Yeong-Gi doubled in laughter, his hands on his stomach as he gasped for breath. "Go ahead and let it all out." He said between gulps of air, "It's practically like you were waiting for your turn, I didn't think you'd have that much to say at once." He immediately began straightening up after seeing her glare of death, an unapologetic smile spreading across his lips. He cleared his throat audibly before declaring, "I WANT TO BE GOOD FRIENDS WITH SHIN-AE! I WISH I WENT TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL SO I COULD EAT LUNCH WITH PEOPLE I KNOW! I WANT A COOL PET, LIKE A TURTLE!"

  
Now it was Shin-Ae's turn to laugh, "A turtle, what's cool about a turtle?! You don't sound like you're stressed out at all, you just sound like a child whining to Santa! Get a load of this," She turned to the horizon again, letting out a loud shout, "WHY IS STALKER ALWAYS SMILING WHEN THERE'S NO REASON TO?! I WANT TO PUNCH HIM!"

  
"WHY DOES SHIN-AE ALWAYS LOOK SO ANGRY AND SMOL? SHE'S REALLY PRETTY WHEN SHE SMILES!" Yeong-Gi retorted, splashing Shin-Ae with water for extra effect.

  
"WHY DOES YEONG-GI THINK HE CAN FIGHT ME? I CAN BEAT HIM TO THE GROUND!" Shin-Ae dug her hand into a clump of sand submerged with sea water, flinging it at the older boy's shirt. It hit the center of his chest, landing before he had the time to react. "Ooh, that was colder than expected." She said, wiping her hand on the corner of her jacket.

  
Yeong-Gi rolled up his sleeves, taking his cap and turning it around, "You're going to get it now." He said, grabbing two fistfuls and tearing off after her.

  
"Wait, no, no fair, I'm laughing too hard!" Shin-Ae pleaded, already panting for breath. Yeong-Gi easily caught up with her in the meanwhile, pelting her back with sand defiantly. "COLD!" Shin-Ae shrieked.

  
By the time the two finally called a truce, they were equally soaked with sea water and sand, opting to stay near the water since getting dry with the substances only made them feel more uncomfortable and gross. Yeong-Gi let out a deep breath of air as he laid onto his back, "I think it's fair to say I won." He finally said.

  
"You wish. You never hit me in the face, once." Shin-Ae boasted, turning towards him. He looked away as he stifled his laughter. The entire right side of her face was still streaked with dark stains. She glowered as his chest continued heaving with uncontrollable mirth, vigorously piling sand on top of him in revenge. He stayed surprisingly still as she continued her masterpiece, finishing off by writing "here lies a dumbass" across.

  
"Okay, hold still." She commanded Yeong-Gi, pulling out her phone to snap a quick picture. He smiled cheekily for the photo.

  
"Do you wanna know something?" He suddenly said seriously.

  
"Hmm?" Shin-Ae asked absentmindedly, snapping another picture before pocketing the phone again. "What?"

  
Yeong-Gi wiggled comically in his sandy cocoon. "I can't get out. Come closer." Shin-Ae rolled her eyes, bending down over him and turning her head. He whispered something incoherent.

  
"What did you say?" She furrowed her eyebrows as she leaned even closer, balancing on one knee. She did not want to be straddling him.

  
"I said," Yeong-Gi started, much more audibly, "That a wave is about to wash over you."

  
"Oh, shit -," The water hit them both before Shin-Ae could jump out of the way, submerging her entire back. Yeong-Gi cackled as the water washed away the sand, before coughing violently when the seawater entered his mouth. "Serves you right!" The brunette yelled, staggering upwards. She was completely soaked.

  
"Let's go back to the car." Yeong-Gi groaned, a little less enthused about his prank. 

* * *

  
The two sighed blissfully as Yeong-Gi turned the heater on, allowing the warm air to wash over them both. He had been prepared, bringing two extra outfits -one specifically for Shin-Ae. Although he chose fairly adjustable clothing, the pants ended up far too comically large for her, leaving her in just an oversized sweater and shorts.

  
"We'll keep the heater and seat warmers cranked." Yeong-Gi promised, directing his air vent to her direction, "Since you got your clothes wet because of me." He offered sheepishly.

  
"You got that right." Shin-Ae retorted, happily munching on the food that Yeong-Gi had packed for them.

  
"Can I ask you a question?" Yeong-Gi asked, turning towards her as he shoved three fries into his mouth.

  
"Shoot. I might not answer it though."

  
"Fair enough," His eyes drifted back towards her hairline. Shin-Ae followed his gaze, brushing her hand over her head as though to block his sight. At the action, he decided to change directions. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable after the good day they had, "We're still friends, right?"

  
Shin-Ae paused, nodding. "Yeah. My turn now." She missed the almost melancholic look Yeong-Gi gave her as she continued to bite into her hamburger, thinking hard. She didn't know what she could ask. She couldn't ask if he had been avoiding her -he could redirect the question back to her, and she'd either be obligated to answer or refuse to answer, which would imply a certain truth anyways. She wasn't really in a position to question him about Alyssa, either. "Are you happy?"

  
He gave her a gentle smile, different than the usual forced ones, "I am right now." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in a rush to post this bc nothing's been happening aaah // there's still a lot of dialogue weeps


	4. Bleeding Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still sorting over the all the stuff I wrote on the first day (splitting in into different chapters for easier readability); so I apologize for the pacing ; o ;

"Shin-Ae ah, why did you lie to me? I thought you had my back." Shin-Ae looked up in shock. Alyssa had slipped into the elevator beside her as she rode up to the Hirahara Corporation, in the middle of discreetly swapping her flats for heels.The blonde adjusted the sunglasses on her face, keeping her gaze focused ahead.

  
"What are you talking about?" Shin-Ae asked uneasily, steadying her balance as the elevator began to ascend. To say she expected to see her again any time soon was an understatement. She did feel like someone's eyes were on her back ever since walking inside the building that day, but she brushed it off as mere paranoia. To think her instinct was actually right. She shook her head, brushing those thoughts from her mind. She should not think of Alyssa like that. They _had_ been friends, once upon a time. Certainly that meant something in this day and age. 

  
"I told you about the rumors. I thought we understood each other." Alyssa cocked her head innocently to the side, "But you guys hung out all day last weekend, isn't that right?" Her smile was replaced by a soft frown. Her eyes didn't seem threatening, but it was hard to tell underneath those shaded lenses.

  
Shin-Ae figured it wouldn't hurt to voice the truth. She had nothing to hide from her, after all. There was no law forbidding friends from occasionally hanging out together, was there? She cleared her throat before speaking up, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, "Sorry, he caught me by surprise. I didn't know where he was taking me, honestly." She let out a suppressed sigh as she surveyed the other girl's skeptical expression. "Don't worry, he's very devoted to you. I'm sure he'd protect the relationship you guys share no matter what. He's just a friend, that's all. We don't even hang out together much..." She added, straightened up as she shouldered her bag. They would arrive at her floor any second now -she didn't need Kousuke to know she  _still_ couldn't properly wear heels. It would truly make working here just that much more unbearable. 

  
"Shin-Ae." Alyssa said suddenly, her hand shooting out as she grazed her fingers against the other girl's hair, "I wonder why you don't wear your bangs back more? I'm sure it would be a lovely look on you." She grinned as the doors opened.

  
"Don't touch me." Shin-Ae snapped, slapping Alyssa's hand away instinctively and pressing against the sides of her temples almost protectively. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she stepped out of the elevator, stumbling towards her workspace as quickly as she could on uneasy feet.

  
"Shin-Ae, are you okay?" Yeong-Gi asked, catching the very end of their conversation as he waited in front of the metallic sliding doors. He frowned as he was roughly elbowed aside by the brunette, who didn't spare another look in either of the two's direction as she hurried past. Yeong-Gi kept his feet firmly planted to the ground despite feeling an overwhelming urge to follow her. While he did his best to abide by his older brother's rules in remaining distant from Shin-Ae, he couldn't help but greet her every day as she came in. He genuinely enjoyed her presence and didn't want her to think he disliked being coworkers, if anything. "Alyssa?" He turned back towards his girlfriend, who remained surprisingly calm at the entire ordeal. 

  
"Hey, babe!" The blonde walked briskly over to him, snatching off her sunglasses to display the sudden concern in her eyes, "Is Shin-Ae okay? I just told her her hair was pretty and she slapped me away..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "I didn't know she'd be so sensitive."

  
"Yeah, I saw." Yeong-Gi agreed, "Are you okay?" He looked the girl up and down, who nodded with a sorrowful expression. He felt a tightness in his chest as Alyssa held her arms to herself tightly, as though feeling incredibly awkward in being placed in such a situation. "Sorry, It's not your fault. I'll talk to Shin-Ae about that. She should at least apologize. It was wrong of her to lash out." He reassured her, smiling comfortingly. 

  
"It's okay, I don't want to cause trouble." Alyssa quickly responded, a hint of panic in her otherwise calm voice, "I had to meet an editor here, so I wanted to stop by and bring you a drink." She hurriedly continued, hanging him a can of sparkling water from her bag. Her eyes darted back and forth from the hallway Shin-Ae had disappeared in to the elevators behind her, backing up until she was against the wall, "Anyways, I don't want to bother you so I'll see you later! Good luck today." She stepped past the doors as soon as they slid open, hastily waving as she placed her sunglasses back onto her face. She smiled to herself in the empty compartment as soon as the doors closed, crossing her arms confidently. Of course, that wasn't the reason she came here at all. But Yeong-Gi would never have to know that. After all, everything had gone according to plan. 

* * *

  
"Miss Yoo, I expect better behavior from you next time. Remember, you are now working for one of the most prestigious companies in South Korea. Therefore your actions and appearances are reflective representations of Hirahara. Do not sully our name or you may as well lose your job here. You are a temp, after all." Kousuke spoke emotionlessly, accepting a pile of papers from her as he placed them accordingly into his file cabinet. "With that said, I hope nothing serious happened." Although the conflict between her and Alyssa had been fairly small this morning, there were a handful of onlookers who recognized the rising star. Rumors spread quickly in the office and he didn't want Shin-Ae to find herself in the midst of any of them, especially when one of them was practically a celebrity. The talk, if anything, was more of a formality.

  
"Yeah, it's nothing." Shin-Ae sighed, cracking her neck from side to side. "Is my shift over now?"

  
"Yes, you may leave." The dark haired man paused, choosing his words carefully before continuing, "Do you require a ride back? I can have Jayce drop you off, since he has to run an errand for me anyways." He looked to the side as he spoke, feigning disinterest.

  
"It's fine." She declined, already headed for the door. She didn't want to have to deal with anyone -plus, she wanted to run to the lobby bathroom to change out of her constricting clothes before leaving. Surely it would reflect badly on the company if they found someone as poorly dressed as her in a company car. She rolled her eyes scornfully, mustering every ounce of her self control to not slam Kousuke's office door on her way out. First she had that terrible confrontation before work, and now this? What next? She found that she wouldn't even be surprised if Sang-Chul himself was waiting outside to...be creepy again. The point was, this day had been less than unideal. 

  
"Shin-Ae. Can we talk?" Yeong-Gi greeted her beside the elevator.

  
The brunette groaned, getting inside and punching the lobby button as she took the flats out of her bag and exchanged them with the heels she currently wore. "What's up?" She asked, checking the time on her phone.

  
"Don't you think you treated Alyssa a bit harshly today? I know you like your personal space, but what you did was just mean. Plus, weren't you guys friends? Did you two have an argument?"

  
Shin-Ae held her hand up, motioning for him to stop bombarding her with questions, "It's not important." She muttered, "But I won't apologize. She knows why." She could let people get away with a lot of things -but what Alyssa did was deliberate. She had been willing to let bygones be bygones, but Alyssa had been the one to bring up the past all by herself. And fine, she could overlook it as she had all the other things, but there was no way in hell she would apologize for her completely justified actions.

  
"Why? Is it just because of this -," Yeong-Gi reached up to touch Shin-Ae's hairline while she was still lost in her thoughts. She turned to him with an expression of fear and horror, pushing his hands away reflexively. "How did you get that anyways? I wanted to ask when we were at the beach."

  
"Don't." Shin-Ae told him seriously, glaring at him for good measure before stepping out of the elevator and briskly walking to the bathroom. Maybe she would hide in there for good measure on the off chance he waited for her outside. She should never underestimate Mr. Stalker, anyways. She ran her fingers through her hair uneasily as she stepped into the stall. When had he seen the scars, anyways? People rarely noticed even when on the occasions they were slightly visible.

  
She changed quickly, putting on extra layers before she finally deemed the coast to be clear. She planned on making a quick stop at WacDonalds since she would be visiting her father tonight, leaving her with no time to buy groceries or make dinner. Shin-Ae would eat at the hospital -not at their food court though. That shit was overpriced.

  
"Okay, I'm sorry I asked about it. But still, Alyssa didn't know. You shouldn't misinterpret her kindness, she can have a loose grasp of personal space sometimes. Friends are like that with each other, right?"

  
"Please! Just leave it!" Shin-Ae growled, quickly ordering a burger as she tried her best to block out the persistent redhead beside her. She was only mildly surprised at his presence at this point. He always did seem to turn up quite unexpectedly.

  
Yeong-Gi followed her outside as she accepted the food and practically tore out of the building. "Shin-Ae. I was really happy when you followed my advice and talked to Dieter. He felt a lot better about the whole thing afterwards. And you guys are friends now, right? I really want you and Alyssa to be good friends. Ideally, I would like for us all to get along together." He said seriously, holding onto her wrist.

  
"I'm not going to apologize to her because she knows!" Shin-Ae snapped, snatching her arm from his grip. She mentally berated herself and her bad temper for letting that slip. Oh well -as long as she didn't make a big deal out of that reveal then he wouldn't piece together the story. She continued walking towards the station.

  
"What do you mean she knows?" Yeong-Gi persisted, popping up behind her shoulder. She turned to look at him tiredly, before sitting down under the shelter of the stop. "Alright. I'll leave it alone." He finally said, taking a seat next to her. He paused, a dark look coming across his features as he continued to stare at her hair. "Was it...did I do that...?" He asked quietly, as though suddenly coming upon a realization. Her head _had_ hit the bottom of the pool all those weeks ago, and it was definitely possible that it had been hard enough to leave some sort of scar.

  
"What? N-no. No." Shin-Ae said firmly, "I've had it for a long time. Can we please stop talking about it now?" She stood up abruptly as the bus rolled to a halt in front of the two. "Please just...you don't know anything." She said almost bitterly as she left his side, keeping her eyes locked forward as she boarded.

  
Yeong-Gi lifted a hand as the doors closed, the brunette's back still turned from him as he was left in the darkness. 

* * *

  
"Hi Papa." Shin-Ae unpacked her homework as she settled on the bed stand beside her unconscious father, twirling a pencil between her fingers. "I hope you've been okay. The nurses said you didn't wake up today, but I shouldn't be worried. I'm trusting them and trying not to worry, so...please try your best to wake up soon, okay? So you can be home." She smiled lightly as she grasped his hand. "I don't want to spend the holidays alone."

  
She lowered her head as she held back tears. She needed to focus on her studies. If she got her grades up, maybe...he would wake up then. It was a childish thought -the same kind of thoughts that frequented her mind whenever something inexplicably bad would happen. That perhaps she was the root of all the problems in their lives, and if she somehow improved, an aspect of their life would in return.

  
Shin-Ae continued contemplating her existence with her head resting on a workbook, getting little done as she stared blankly at the wall. Why couldn't she just be better? Things seemed to get worse at every turn. She was finally beginning to think that high school was a turning point, a change for the better -but for everything positive that had happened in the past few months, something twice as bad retaliated. She had gained new friends, only to be tangled into a complex web of their own personal lives, with none of them ultimately knowing anything about the other party. She had brought up her grades, only to have them all crash and burn when she failed her exams, another result of being tangled into some sort of unwarranted mess she didn't ask to be a part of. 

Shin-Ae wished her father would wake up. It was hard being by herself, and now she felt lonelier than ever. Even if he wasn't home all the time, his presence was a comfort to her, an anchor. He was the one person who she knew would never abandon her.

* * *

  
_Can we talk? It's important._

  
Yeong-Gi stared at his phone for what seemed like an eternity as he waited for a response, the bright screen burning into his retinas. He took off his glasses, pressing his fingers over his eyelids as he groaned. It was very late at night. What could possibly be taking her so long? He knew she was busy, but she usually replied to texts like these quite speedily...

  
_Of course, babe! What about_

  
He breathed a sigh of relief when she finally responded back.

  
_I'd rather do it in person._

  
He messaged her immediately, in hopes of receiving an equally rapid reply.

  
_I'm free tomorrow morning at 9. You'll be in school though :c_

  
_That's ok, I have free period at that time. Where should we meet?_

  
Yeong-Gi only felt a little bad for lying, but with how busy Alyssa's schedule was normally, he knew he would have to take the earliest opportunity he could to talk to her. The fact that she was willing to make time for him at all was somewhat of a miracle -he typically went months without seeing her at all, and the two had actually met up a soon to be whopping third time this month alone. It was too good to be true.

  
He laughed bitterly to himself. It was almost funny how he thought seeing his girlfriend three times a month was considered a lot. He saw Shin-Ae numerous times per week. He shook his head rapidly. He shouldn't be comparing the two like that. Yeong-Gi sent Alyssa a quick good night as she texted him an address after a moment, apologizing for forcing her to take the time out of her schedule.

  
He flopped onto his bed afterwards, throwing his arm across his face. How was he even supposed to bring the subject up?

* * *

  
There was an unbearable air of silence as the two stood in front of each other, unaware of the ongoings around them. It was clear that neither of them had gotten much sleep, although for entirely differing reasons.

  
The girl finally broke the uncomfortable peace, a delicately manicured hand lifting to her mouth as she laughed lightly in hopes of easing the tension. "Did she tell you I did it?" Alyssa asked Yeong-Gi, a hint of nervousness on her otherwise smiling face. She knew he was serious -rather than beating around the bush and making small talk, he got directly to the point. Furthermore, there was no mask for her to hide under this time, seeing as how he came directly at her shoot location. To say that Alyssa had expected this conversation to go another way was an understatement. But even so, she could see a solution, difficult as it may be.

  
"Did you do it?" Yeong-Gi repeated, a dark look settling upon his features. His normal cheerful exterior was nowhere to be found. "I want to hear it from you."

  
"O-of course not, babe." Alyssa stuttered, becoming flustered by his aggressive questioning. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking equally confused as she pressed a hand to her head, as though struggling to recall difficult memories. "Don't you trust me? I don't know what's going on with Shin-Ae, but she's always been that way." She urged a reluctant smile to her face, calling upon her acting lessons to convey her feelings, "When I was in middle school, she liked being alone. It was hard for people to get close to her, but I was pretty much her only friend. It didn't matter though; she ended up pushing me away like all the others...I guess she really does like her personal space, huh? I should have respected that." She finished, casting her gaze downwards, "I'll apologize the next time I see her. I really didn't mean anything by it."

  
Yeong-Gi let out the breath of air he didn't know he'd been holding, looking somewhat reassured by her words. "So about her..." He gestured to his own hairline, hoping he got the point across.

  
"Oh, that!" Alyssa wracked her brain for something to say -if he was asking her about it, then surely Shin-Ae hadn't shed light upon anything. "During art class when we were younger she got glue stuck in her hair when we were making collages. She hadn't noticed so it ripped out from her roots when she went to go tie her hair up. She's very self-conscious about it, but I completely forgot." She looked away with a forlorn expression, "It's been so long since we've really been able to talk all those years, you know? I would have thought some things changed. But I guess some people just hold on to the past."

  
Yeong-Gi nodded slowly, as though taking in all the information he received. What Alyssa said added up -if she were indeed present at the time of the accident, then he guess he could see why Shin-Ae would be upset with her for bringing up the subject after such a long time.

  
Alyssa placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, "But can you do me a favor? I really feel bad about what happened, so please don't let her know I told you. I know she's really embarrassed about it, and it was kind of a big deal at the time. The teacher made all of the students stay quiet about it, so I'm sure reminding her will bring back some bad memories."

  
Yeong-Gi smiled gently at her, placing his hand over her own, "Sure, babe. It's sweet of you to still look out for her like this. I'm sorry if I came on too strongly about the whole thing; I guess I jumped to conclusions again." He didn't know what to think, it seemed like such a small reason for Shin-Ae to react that way. But he had to take Alyssa's word for it. If not that, then what did he have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -ah after someone's name is defined loosely as kinda a term of endearment in Korea, it may be different in other families, but this is how I've understood it growing up in my household !

**Author's Note:**

> I do not think my ship will be canon anymore, even though it seemed heavily implied at this start, so I am writing this with a heavy heart ; u ; (aka this fic is kinda just a for fun outlet since my hands are unwilling to draw atm)


End file.
